I sit here in my office at my community college and
contemplate the above question. I have
so many thoughts rolling through my head and most them don’t relate to the
question at all. As a faculty member and
active community member the question isn’t really how can we engage
entrepreneurs as much as it is how we can inform entrepreneurs? Entrepreneurs are streamlining experts. Technology is their lifeline to everything! The challenge then is how I, as an HP LIFE
ambassador, can let them know that this great resource is available to
them. Sometimes technology can get a bad rap. We are so busy with our own visions and ideas
that technology becomes infused into our daily lives.

As entrepreneurs, technology can become a
burden that interferes with innovation and planning. Most of us start our day with checking our
email, facebook newsfeed, and twitter accounts.
We cater to a society that requires instant communication and gratification. So how can I sit here at my computer in my
community college office and say to prospective entrepreneurs that I have yet
another great thing to add to their already full list? The thing is that HP LIFE isn’t just a
technology. It is a quick and easy
modularized training tool that is FREE and EASY to use. Entrepreneurs love the FREE and EASY
part!

Every time that I present this innovative program that HP
and NACCE and EDC have blended together to create I am amazed at the
reactions. First of all, most
entrepreneurs want to know what it can "do for them”. I always say that it is a free training --
train yourselves – train your employees – train your clients. Then they sit back and realize its
potential. I then usually get a call
back from the entrepreneur asking for a more in-depth look at the HP LIFE
program. They then start to grasp the
awesome potential that this can have for their business and their employees.

So, you see I can make a difference as I sit here in my
community college office. It is from
this place that I first discovered HP LIFE and applied to be an
ambassador. It is from this place that I
organize and plan strategies to promote the program to classes and community
entrepreneurs. It is from this place
that opportunities can be born. I leave
you with this last thought – where is your place?

Kim Simons is a
Professor of Business Administration at Madisonville Community College in
Madisonville, Kentucky. She teaches
courses in Leadership, Management, Marketing, and General Business.